A heat-dissipating module including a fan holding structure and a fan is disclosed. The fan holding structure includes: a carrying body, at least one resilient clamping member, at least one resilient engaging member, and a plurality of resilient fixing members. The at least one resilient clamping member and the resilient fixing members are arranged on the carrying body. An electronic device includes an opening and at least one engaging member. The resilient engaging member corresponds to the engaging member, so that the heat-dissipating module with the fan holding structure is detachably arranged at the opening. The fan of the heat-dissipating module can be quickly and effectively detached and attached through the at least one resilient clamping member and the resilient fixing members.
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21. A fan holding structure adapted to retain a fan, comprising:
a carrying body, having a vent;
at least one resilient clamping member, arranged on the carrying body at a peripheral portion of the vent, and extending vertically from a surface of the carrying body;
a plurality of resilient fixing member, arranged at a peripheral portion of the vent and extending vertically from the surface of the carrying body; and
at least one resilient engaging member, arranged on a side edge of the carrying body;
wherein the at least one resilient clamping member includes a clamping frame and a resilient clamping arm, wherein the clamping frame is fixedly arranged on the carrying body, and one end of the resilient clamping arm is arranged on the clamping frame, whereas the other end is freely exposed from a side of the clamping frame in a direction towards a central axis of the carrying body.
1. A heat-dissipating module, comprising:
a fan holding structure, comprising:
a carrying body, having a vent;
at least one resilient clamping member, arranged on the carrying body at a peripheral portion of the vent, and extending vertically from a surface of the carrying body; wherein the at least one resilient clamping member includes a clamping frame and a resilient clamping arm; wherein the clamping frame is fixedly arranged on the carrying body, and one end of the resilient clamping arm is disposed on the clamping frame, whereas the other end is freely exposed from a side of the clamping frame in a direction towards a central axis of the carrying body; and
a plurality of resilient fixing members, arranged on the carrying body at a peripheral portion of the vent, and extending vertically from the surface of the carrying body; and
a fan, having a plurality of mounting holes corresponding to the resilient fixing members of the carrying body;
wherein when the fan is assembled on the carrying body, each of the resilient fixing members is correspondingly engaged in one of the mounting holes of the fan, and the at least one resilient clamping member is abutted against a sidewall of the fan.
12. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing, having an opening and at least one engaging member arranged around the opening; and
a heat-dissipating module, detachably arranged at the opening of the housing, the heat-dissipating module comprising:
a fan holding structure, comprising:
a carrying body, having a vent;
at least one resilient clamping member, arranged on the carrying body, and extending vertically from a surface of the carrying body; wherein the at least one resilient clamping member includes a clamping frame and a resilient clamping arm, wherein the clamping frame is fixedly arranged on the carrying body, and one end of the resilient clamping arm is arranged on the clamping frame, whereas the other end is freely exposed from a side of the clamping frame in a direction towards a central axis of the carrying body;
a plurality of resilient fixing members, arranged on the carrying body, and extending vertically from the surface of the carrying body; and
at least one resilient engaging member, arranged on a side edge of the carrying body; and
a fan, having a plurality of mounting holes corresponding to the resilient fixing members, wherein each of the resilient fixing members is correspondingly engaged in one of the mounting holes of the fan when the fan is arranged on the carrying body, and the at least one resilient clamping member is abutted against a sidewall of the fan;
wherein the heat-dissipating module is selectively engaged with the housing through the cooperation of the resilient engaging members and the engaging portion of the housing.
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a heat-dissipating module and an electronic device having the heat-dissipating module and, in particular, to a heat-dissipating module having a fan holding structure that is able to simplify a fan assembly, and an electronic device having the heat-dissipating module which can be quickly detached from a housing of the electronic device.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, with the rapid progress of computer technology, the operating speed of computer continuously improves, the rate of heat generated of electronic components within a host computer is also on a constant rise. CPU and power supply are two main heat sources in the host computer, and it is common practice in the art to install a heat-dissipating module including, for example, a fan and heat-dissipating fins, on the CPU and power supply to achieve the heat dissipation effect of the host computer.
However, the heat-dissipating module currently attached on the server housing has other inconveniences. For example, the conventional manner for assembling and installing the heat-dissipating module to computer requires a lot of screws that can cost time and money. Due to the small sizes of screws, they are inconvenient to use and can be easily lost. When fan replacement is needed due to a failure, the user must spend a lot of time detaching and installing the fan. Moreover, since the fan is consumer product, used in actual applications, the fan needs to be frequently replaced. Therefore, it is desirable to find a way to quickly replace a fan without interrupting the operation of a computer and without risking destruction of the CPU due to excessive heat.
Furthermore, the fan is conventionally fastened by screws. When screw holes of the fan are too large due to the poor control over the manufacturing tolerance, the fan will not be securely fixed on the server housing. During operation, vibrations and loud noise will be generated from the loosely fixed fan. In other words, it is desirable to minimize vibrations and noises coming off from the heat-dissipating module due to the poor control over the manufacturing tolerance of the screw holes on the fan during manufacturing process without being a nuisance to the user. In summary, the conventional screw and hole setup poses a major inconvenience to users and a solution is highly desirable.
Accordingly, this invention which has a reasonable design and can effectively improve upon the abovementioned problems has been proposed by the inventors based on intensive research in combination with theoretical knowledge.
The object of the invention is to provide a fan holding structure, a heat-dissipating module having the fan holding structure and an electronic device having the heat-dissipating module which can be quickly detached and attached from the electronic device without the use of screws while reducing loud vibrations and noise during operation of the fan.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, according to an embodiment of the invention, a heat-dissipating module is provided, which includes: a fan holding structure and a fan. The fan holding structure includes: a carrying body, at least one resilient clamping member, and a plurality of resilient fixing members. The carrying body has a vent. The at least one resilient clamping member is arranged on the carrying body at a peripheral portion of the vent, and extends vertically from a surface of the carrying body. The plurality of resilient fixing members is arranged on the carrying body at a peripheral portion of the vent, and extends vertically from the surface of the carrying body. The fan has a plurality of mounting holes corresponding to the resilient fixing members of the carrying body, whereby the fan is detachably arranged on the fan holding structure. When the fan is arranged on the carrying body, the resilient fixing members are engaged in the respective mounting holes of the fan, and the at least one resilient clamping member is abutted against a sidewall of the fan.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, according to another embodiment of the invention, an electronic device is provided, which includes: a housing and a heat-dissipating module. The housing has an opening and at least one engaging portion arranged around the opening. The heat-dissipating module is detachably arranged at the opening of the housing and includes a fan holding structure and a fan removably attached on the fan holding structure. The fan holding structure includes: a carrying body, at least one resilient clamping member, a plurality of resilient fixing members, and at least one resilient engaging member. The carrying body has a vent. The at least one resilient clamping member is arranged on the carrying body, and extends vertically from a surface of the carrying body. The plurality of resilient fixing members is arranged on the carrying body, and extends vertically from the surface of the carrying body. The at least one resilient engaging member is arranged on a side edge of the carrying body. The fan has a plurality of mounting holes corresponding to the respective resilient fixing members. Each of the resilient fixing members is correspondingly engaged in one of the mounting holes of the fan when the fan is arranged on the carrying body, and the at least one resilient clamping member is abutted against a sidewall of the fan. The heat-dissipating module is engaged with or disengaged from the engaging portion of the housing through the resilient engaging members.
In order to further the understanding regarding the features and technical contents of the invention, the following embodiments and appended drawings are provided along with illustrations to facilitate the disclosure of the invention. The drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit the invention.
The embodiments of a heat-dissipating module and an electronic device having the heat-dissipating module of the invention are described below by means of specific examples, and other advantages and objectives of the invention can be easily understood by one skilled in the art from the disclosure of the description. The invention can be embodied or applied in other different embodiments, and various modifications and variations can be made to various details in the description for different applications without departing the scope of the invention. Also, the drawings of the invention are provided for only simple illustration, and are not drawn to scale, that is, do not reflect the actual relative dimensions.
The following embodiments are provided to describe in detail the concept of the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope thereof in any way.
Referring to
Specifically, the carrying body 10 has a vent 101 corresponding to an air in-flow opening (e.g. air outlet or air inlet) of the fan 20. The at least one resilient clamping member 11 and the resilient fixing members 12 are arranged on the same surface of the carrying body 10 at a peripheral portion of the vent 101. Preferably, the number of the resilient fixing members 12 may be four, which are spaced from each other and symmetrically arranged, and are respectively arranged near four corners of the carrying body 10 proximate to the vent 101 as shown in
In particular, each of the resilient clamping members 11 includes a clamping frame 111 and a resilient clamping arm 112. The clamping frame 111 is fixedly arranged on the carrying body 10 and extends vertically from one surface of the carrying body 10, and the resilient clamping arm 112 is resiliently arranged on the clamping frame 111 and a portion of the resilient clamping arm 112 is exposed from the clamping frame 111 in a direction towards a central axis of the carrying body 10. For example, one end of the resilient clamping arm 112 is fixedly arranged on the clamping frame 111, whereas the other end is freely exposed from the clamping frame 111. The exposed part of the resilient clamping arm 112 includes a guiding surface 1121 and a clamping surface 1122. The guiding surface 1121 and the clamping surface 1122 are joined together, and the clamping surface 1122 facing the central axis of the carrying body 10 is arranged adjacent to the carrying body 10. The guiding surface 1121 can be a slanted surface, and the slanted surface faces the central axis of the carrying body 10, and the clamping surface 1122 can be generally a flat surface or rough surface substantially perpendicular to the carrying body 10, depending on the profile design of the fan 20. It should be particularly noted that the resilient clamping members 11 of the instant embodiment including the clamping frame 111 and the resilient clamping arm 112 are only described as an example and the structure of the resilient clamping members 11 is not limited to this in practical applications. For example, the resilient clamping member 11 can also be a single component resembling a hook shape.
The resilient fixing members 12 are arranged on the carrying body 10. Preferably, the resilient fixing members 12 extend vertically from a surface of the carrying body 10, and can be made of plastic, wood, metal, or acrylic and so on, in order to provide a certain extend of resilience. Each of the resilient fixing members 12 includes two or more separate resilient arms 123 (for example, two in the instant embodiment as shown in the figures), and the gaps formed therebetween provide a sufficient space for the resilient arms 123 upon elastic displacement. Each of the resilient arms 123 has a fixed end 121 and a free end 122. The fixed end 121 is fixedly arranged on the surface of the carrying body 10, and the free end 122 has a guiding surface 1221 which can be a slanted surface. Each resilient fixing member 12 in the figures is exemplified as including two semi-cylindrical shaped pillar structures, and is not limited hereto.
Each of the resilient engaging members 13 includes an engaging fixing frame 131 and a resilient engaging arm 132. The engaging fixing frame 131 is fixedly arranged on one side edge of the carrying body 10, and extends vertically from one surface of the carrying body 10. One end of the resilient engaging arm 132 is resiliently arranged on the engaging fixing frame 131. For example, one end of the resilient engaging arm 132 is fixedly arranged on the engaging fixing frame 131, whereas the other end is freely exposed from the side edge of the engaging fixing frame 131 and the carrying body 10 and away from the carrying body 10. The exposed part of the resilient engaging arm 132 has a pressing portion 1321 and an engaging portion 1322. The pressing portion 1321 and the engaging portion 1322 are bumps extending outwardly from the resilient engaging arm 132, and accordingly, an engaging slot 133 is formed between the pressing portion 1321 and the engaging portion 1322. The resilient engaging member 13 in the figures is exemplified as including two engaging portion 1322. Preferably, the engaging portion 1322 of the resilient engaging member 13 has a guiding surface 13221 which can be a slanted surface. The pressing portion 1321 has a curved structure 13211, and preferably adopts a non-slip design for convenient pressing by users. However, the number and configuration of the pressing portion 1321 and engaging portion 1322 are not limited to the examples provided herein, and can be changed according to the practical requirements. For example, in other embodiments, one engaging portion 1322 can be provided. In addition, the resilient engaging members 13 of the instant embodiment are exemplary as being integrally formed with the carrying body 10, and the resilient engaging member 13 itself provides resilient engagement that can clip and release the housing 30. However, in other embodiments, the resilient engaging member 13 is not limited to the examples provided herein and can be a component independent of the carrying body 10 that is pivoted to a side edge of the carrying body 10, and an additional elastic member (e.g. a torsion spring, not shown) can provide resilient engagement.
Referring to
In
In assembling the fan 20 on the carrying body 10 (as shown in
As described above, the fan 20 is tightly clamped and fitted with the fan holding structure 100 by the resilient clamping member 11 and the resilient fixing member 12, so that the problems of the manufacturing tolerance for the width or the length of the outer frame of the fan 20 and the manufacturing tolerance for the mounting holes 201 of the fan 20 in the prior art can be eliminated. Furthermore, due to the resiliency of each resilient clamping member 11 and each resilient fixing member 12, the fan 20 can be tightly fitted with the fan holding structure 100, thereby effectively reducing the vibration and noise generated by the fan 20 in operation. In addition, the vibration energy generated by the fan 20 in operation can be transferred to the carrying body 10 through the resilient fixing members 12. Moreover, through the absorption of the vibration energy by the carrying body 10 that has a relative larger mass, the noise caused by the vibration of the fan 20 is effectively prevented.
In
Referring to
The housing 30 includes an opening 301 and at least one engaging member 302 that is arranged around the opening 301. Preferably, the shape and size of the opening 301 correspond to those of the fan holding structure 100. The engaging member 302 further includes an engaging protrusion 3021, and the thickness of the engaging protrusion 3021 is equal to or slightly less than the width of the engaging slot 133 (see the cross-sectional view of
Referring to
Referring to
In view of the above, the invention improves in that: the user can quickly detach the heat-dissipating module from the housing by pressing the resilient engaging members arranged on two side edges of the carrying body; after the heat-dissipating module is detached from the housing, the fan can be quickly detached from the fan holding structure by pulling the resilient clamping member of the fan holding structure; after the fan is detached, a new fan can be tightly fitted in the fan holding structure by directly aligning the mounting holes of the fan with the resilient fixing members of the fan holding structure and then pressing the fan. Similarly, after the resilient engaging members of the fan holding structure are respectively aligned with the engaging members of the housing, the resilient engaging members are engaged in the housing by pressing, thereby completing the replacement of the fan. In this manner, the fan can be quickly replaced, and in the replacement process, no removal tools are needed and no screws are needed, thus, the user can simply and quickly finish the replacement of the fan/heat-dissipating module.
Additionally, through the resilient characteristics of the resilient clamping members and the resilient fixing members of the fan holding structure, the resilient clamping members and the resilient fixing members are pressed to generate resilience when the fan is attached on the fan holding structure, so that the fan is tightly fitted with the fan holding structure, the manufacturing tolerance for the width or the length of the outer frame of the fan and the manufacturing tolerance for the mounting holes in the art can be effectively eliminated. As a result, the fan can be securely arranged on the fan holding structure without any looseness. Furthermore, through the engagement of the resilient fixing members and the clamping of the resilient clamping members, the axial and radial displacements can be limited. In addition, through the guiding of the resilient fixing members, the vibration energy generated by the fan in operation can be transferred to the carrying body and the housing, so that the vibration energy is absorbed, thereby effectively reducing the noise generated by the vibration of the fan in operation.
The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simply the preferred embodiments of the present invention; however, the characteristics of the present invention are by no means restricted thereto. All changes, alterations, or modifications considered by those skilled in the art are deemed to be encompassed within the scope of the present invention delineated by the following claims.
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